Association for Advancing Automation report shows growth in Q1 robot orders

According to a new report issued by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), total robot orders in Q1 2021 were up over 20% compared to Q1 2020. Companies in the metal industry increased orders in this time period by 86%, while life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biomed companies increased orders by 72%.

These Q1 results are the second-best start for robot sales and second-best quarter for non-automotive orders, behind the beginning of 2017 and Q4 of 2020 respectively.

North American non-automotive companies specifically in Q1 2021 increased robot orders by 28% over Q1 2020, while companies in North America in general placed $466M in robot orders for Q1 2021.

According to A3, the increase in sales from non-automotive companies, a less cyclical market than automotive, bodes well for the future growth of robotics and automation.

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